FROM RAW MATERIALS TO THE FINISHED PRODUCT: THE INFLUENCE OF THE PROCESSING METHOD ON FRUIT LEATHER QUALITY

The paper presents the results of a comprehensive study of the effect of various drying methods on the quality of fruit leather. The relevance of the work is due to the growing interest in healthy nutrition and the need to develop processed products from domestic raw materials with maximum preservation of biologically active substances. The aim of the study was a comparative analysis of convective and infrared drying during fruit leather production from different types of fruit raw materials. Experimental samples were made from peach, nectarine and plum puree with the addition of apple as a pectin base in a ratio of 2 : 1. For all samples, a comprehensive analysis of biochemical and organoleptic parameters was performed at all stages of processing, including determination of residual moisture, soluble solids, anthocyanins and ascorbic acid. It was found that infrared drying reduces the processing time by 35 % (up to 19.5 hours) while maintaining humidity in the range of 3.16–3.36 %, which corresponds to technological standards. A significant advantage of infrared drying was recorded in terms of the content of soluble solids (exceeding 5–12 %) and the preservation of ascorbic acid (up to 17.6 mg/100 g in plum samples). The greatest losses were found for anthocyanins (73–78 %), and the drying method did not have a statistically significant effect on their safety. An organoleptic assessment on a 5-point scale confirmed the high quality of all manufactured samples (4.43–4.77 points). Plum leather was characterized by the most balanced flavor profile. It was noted that all samples cover 14–17.6 % of an adult's physiological need for ascorbic acid and 16.3–58.7 % for children, depending on age. Based on the data obtained, it is recommended to use plum raw materials and an infrared drying chamber to produce fruit leather in functional aims.